Bond measure going on ballot for Los Gatos, Saratoga high schools

Local residents will be voting in June on a bond measure that would raise money for facilities improvements at Los Gatos and Saratoga high schools. High school board members agreed unanimously on Feb. 25 to put the measure on the June 3 ballot.

If the measure is approved, property owners would be charged an annual fee of $18 per $100,000 of assessed property values.

That's on top of the approximately $35 per $100,000 property owners are already paying annually for a $79 million bond that was approved by more than 80 percent of voters in June 1998. Those payments will continue through 2024.

Several speakers at the school board meeting said they would work to get the ballot measure approved, including Loma Prieta Elementary School board vice president Jennifer Straw. "I know you would get support from the mountain community," Straw said.

Support from mountain residents is needed because they, too, will be voting on the measure since their children attend Los Gatos High School.

Property values are generally higher in areas that are served by good schools. Both Los Gatos and Saratoga are considered to be among the best high schools in the state.

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"We all know our schools require repairs and upgrades," Los Gatos High School music booster Bill Gallmeister said. "On behalf of the music boosters ... we'll work to ensure it's a success."

But several people who are supportive of the measure say the school board needs to offer more specifics on what facility improvements will actually be made. For example, a flyer mailed to voters shows a photo of a leaky roof. It says the bond measure would add classrooms to accommodate increasing enrollments, while upgrading science labs to meet 21st century needs and safety requirements.

School board president Doug Ramezane acknowledged, "We've got a lot more work to do and I'm looking forward to it."

The proposed bond measure needs a 55 percent approval margin to win. It could raise as much as $99 million and would expire in 2044.